Remember Who You are
by KingOfMyHeart
Summary: "Let me tell you something my Grandmother taught me. Look up at the stars Upendo. The great kings of the past, are looking down on us from those stars." The cub's ears flattened against his head in awe. "Wow...really? Right now?" A collection of stories that tell the history of the pridelands- from its dawning...til its end. Rated T for language
1. Prologue

**_Remember who you are..._**

(A TLK fanfiction)

Prologue

_The savannah was peaceful at night; the herds grazing softly, or simply standing in tight groups, chewing all the while. The sun had hurried away behind the horizon, and as it did so the tops of the mountains had glowed with brightness._

_All was disrupted suddenly as the pair of lions raced across the grasslands, splashing through the puddles left over from the recent rain._

_The huge male lion bounded easily ahead, his auburn eyes glowing- stopping and turning back for the young cub that trailed him. The cub mimicked his every move, chasing his tail._

_The pair raced around comically for a time, until the cub managed to pounce upon his adult counterpart, tugging at his ear. The two wrested for a while until they broke down in fits of laughter._

_The cub giggled and settled into the vast expanse of flowing mane._

_"Dad?"_

_The older lion stirred underneath him. "Hmmm?"_

_"We're pals right?"_

_The older lion chuckled. "Of course."_

_"And we'll always be together right?" The cub continued, grinning._

_The big male frowned softly and sat up; the cub sliding backwards down his head fought to climb up again._

_"Upendo..." He said, his musical and lilting voice resounding in the air. "Perhaps it is time for me to teach you something."_

_"Aww daaad..." Upendo complained, burying his face into his father's mane. "Another lesson?"_

_"An important lesson." The older lion confirmed. "Let me tell you something my Grandmother taught me. Look up at the stars Upendo. The great kings of the past, are looking down on us from those stars."_

_The cub's ears flattened against his head in awe. "Wow...really? Right now?"_

_"Yes." The male nodded, looking up at his young son._

_"Even Great-Grandma Kiara?" Upendo questioned._

_"Yes." The lion smiled._

_"Great- great- Grandfather Simba?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Even Great-great-great-Uncle_

_**Scar**?"_

_The huge lion shook his head, his bangs falling across his face and then settling back again. "Not Scar. For Scar is long dead now." He smiled. "Only Taka lived on to join those who waited for him above."_

_"Then which star is his?" Upendo asked, staring up at the sky._

_"So many questions!" The big lion chuckled and continued. "It is said that Taka's star is joined to the one belonging to his sister. Huru. They appear together, and shine the brightest in times when all hope seems lost and darkness is all around. They are there my son to remind us of the bond between twins. To remind us that monsters are created by a single moment when time stands still. Their stars hold a warning my son. And hope. Eternal hope."_

_Upendo pulled a face. "That's complicated."_

_His father chuckled softly. "Perhaps it is hard to understand now. You'll understand the true meaning someday..." He stopped a moment, considering something. "Would it help if I told you a story about it?"_

_The cub's ears perked up. "YEAH! STORY! STORY!"_

_"Hush..." His father chuckled. "Shall I perhaps begin with the story of the first King? And his three-"_

_"The first King!?" Upendo interrupted. "COOL! I bet he had a huge army of lions and stuff. And he fought battles with loads of hyenas and, and-"_

_"Hush!" The older lion interjected, his voice held a warning that only the cub would interpret._

_Upendo fell silent._

_"This first King was great and powerful. But he did not have an army to fight his battles. Instead he left the greatest of gifts to follow in his pawprints..." The King's voice trailed off._

_"Who, who?!" Upendo squeaked._

_"His three daughters." _

_The cub pulled a face. "Daughters?! But girls can't run a kingdom!"_

_"I think you'll find that they can..." The lion chuckled. "Let me tell you about them then. See if I can change your mind, huh?"_

_Upendo shrugged. "Whatever. But three stupid girls still won't be as awesome a King as me!"_

_His father chuckled and began speaking again, his deep, rich voice rolling around the night and filling ever corner._

_And it seemed as if the stars themselves winked and leaned in to listen to the tale, the older lion spoke of._

**"There was once a time when even the darkest of souls was filled with laughter and light...when time hardly mattered...and the future was so far away..."**

* * *

**Authors Note:- **

Jesus this cub is annoying XD

Hey there ;) and thanks for reading the first installment of what I plan to be a...long series...  
I will also be posting this story and some pictures to go with it on my deviantart page here - art/Remember-who-you-are-Prologue-331156979

The prologue features my version of "what came after" Kiara and Kovu and Kopa etc.

This Lion King is Kiara's grandson Burusa and the cub is his son Upendo. More will be explained about them later on in the stories, but the basic idea of this entire fanfiction is that Burusa is using the stories to help teach his son to be King.

Anyways, more on the way soon

Please R&R, it would help me a lot ;)

~KingOfMyHeart~


	2. Story 1: Chapter 1

**Remember Who You Are**

**STORY I**

A WAR WITHOUT BLOOD

Chapter 1

Dawning of a Kingdom

She was nothing much to look at. His bride to be.

Foul in colour and in personality. Nothing more than an exotic concubine.

But no. His father was not willing to battle the white lions for a betrothed for his _beloved_ son, nor the jungle pride that lived so close to their home by the mountain. So the daughter of a passing rogue would have to do.

If it was good enough for his father, it had to be good enough for him.

He remembered her as a teenager, and how he would make fun of her accent and the way she spoke, with her funny pronunciations of worlds.

She was a great deal older than him- as in; when she was a teenager he was a cub with not even a tuft of mane on his head.

And now... she was a huge, thickly built lioness, smoothly muscled and tall, standing at the same height as him, staring at him with those cold green eyes.

She would never forget the way he had treated her, those eyes told him so.

And here he was, about to be married to her.

The pair were to be joined under a full moon, when the sky was black and devoid of life. To Achashverosh it matter very little if the moon was full or not, it was always the same to him.

He had one task to perform in this place, and that was to create an heir. It mattered not that his queen to be, hated his guts.

And as his father spoke the ancient words that united the two lions as one, Achashverosh pouted and thought about all the things he could be doing if only he wasn't a prince.

* * *

It wasn't as if Adimu was having any easier a time.

To be married to a spoilt son of an abusive King, pah. That was a living hell for her.

Why her of all lionesses in the pride? She was his elder by many moons, yet the youngest lioness by far.

Her own mother had been nothing more than a concubine for the old king, and she had assumed the same fate for herself. And it had come true of course.

She would be mounted, mated and forced beneath her _king, _her _mate_ and told to bear a son to take over the kingdom when he was gone.

Adimu privately hoped for a daughter.

Then there would be no way that Achashverosh's line would continue.

A daughter was a failure. The pride would spit on her and her cub and declare her unfit to be a queen.

Ha... A _queen. _

A pseudo queen...

Adimu could hope for something more. Something better. But it would never come true...

* * *

"_May the Great Spirit bless both of these children, and may they honour their vows to each other..." _

Achashverosh closed his eyes and sighed.

_Would this night never end?_

His father did prattle on so.

It would be more interesting to watch the cicada's buzzing around at dusk, when the mountains glowed red and the sun ran to hide behind the vast expanse of mountains.

"_Herr Hurrrmmm..."_

Achashverosh started and looked up at the sound of his father. "Yea...?"

"_Your paw." _

The prince blinked and then glanced to his side, where _she_ sat. Adimu had one paw raised off the ground and was rolling her eyes and tutting under her breath.

He sighed and looked away, raising one leg in distaste.

His father frowned, but continued never the less, the lionesses helping him to tie the green vine around the forelegs of the couple. The knot was messy and by no means neat. But it would do...

It would do...

"_And so by the vows you make to one another, and by the ties that bind your bodies together, you are ONE. For all present here to know. Now, forever and always. ONE."_

* * *

The rest of the Pride dispersed to the land around.

Yet they sat there together.

Bound by their forelegs all through the day's heat until the cool relief of dusk and nightfall.

And as the prince led his new bride away to their wedding bed, he felt, perhaps for the first time- guilt.

Not just at the thought of having to... touch her, but also in the way he had treated her.

But how to apologize?

How to make it up to her without giving his pride false hope about them?

How to make her not hate him? Something he could never achieve.

He led her away, into the still dampness of a cave. And felt sick.

He could not think of anything to say to comfort her. To calm his nerves

And to his shame, to his eternal shame... he said nothing.

Nothing.

And so it was only when all was done, and Adimu lay beneath him quiet and sated, did Achashverosh let his anxiety leave him.

He did not truly want Adimu, nor she him, and the idea of being joined as one for life and beyond left a bad taste in his mouth, horrible images in his mind.

But he was young yet. Perhaps with time...

It was a farce.

It was a farce and he knew it.

And while around the others he would be forced to smile and nuzzle and pretend to care for his mate and her feelings... for now he did not have to.

At least she was asleep, so that she did not have to see him sulk.

Achashverosh sighed and closed his eyes, dropping his head to the cold stone floor and willing sleep to come quickly.

He could only hope he'd performed his royal duties well enough to conceive a child. A son.

In the half darkness one pale green eye opened, a single tear budding and sliding down fur, before landing silently upon the ground...

Lost.

Forever.

* * *

**Authors Note:-**

First update :D

And yep, it's a kind of weird chapter this one.

The story starts with the wedding of the first "King and Queen" of the pridelands. only they aren't really the pridelands yet. More like a big expanse of land, jungle and desert. No kingdoms. And no Priderock. Not yet ;)

So this it the start of my first mini fic about the King and his daughters mentioned briefly in the "False Ancestor" comic. Hope you guys will like it as much as I like writing it. So many ideas for this its unreal!

Name meanings

Achashverosh- "Great warrior" or "Lion King" (Hebrew)

Adimu- "Unique" "Rare" "Scarce" (Swahili)

Their designs can be seen here - gallery/36242960#/d5jqfil

Hope you enjoy ;)

R&R

~KingOfMyHeart~


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